Device for use in connection with the pouring of fiery molten masses



A nl 22, 1958 0. K. VORWERK ETAL 2,331,294

DEVICE FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH THE POURING 0F FIERY MOLTEN MASSESFiled Jan. 5. 195a Inventor's.-

United States DEVICE FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH THE POURING OF FIERYMOLTEN MASSES Otto Karl Vorwerk and Paul Friedrich Hiittemann,Rheinhausen, and Eugen Karl Schmiicker, Duisburg-Wedau, Germany,assignors to Huttenwerke Rheinhausen Aktiengesellschaft, Rheinhausen,Germany The present invention relates to the pouring of fiery moltenmasses, and more particularly, to a ladle for pouring fiery moltenmasses, e. g., blast furnace slag, onto a foaming bed in which the slagis caused to foam by means of water or air which rises up, for instance,through nozzles, from the bottom of the foaming bed. In order, whencarrying out such a process, to obtain a product of high commercialvalue which at the same time is porous and has the lowest possibleweight per volume consistent with adequate pressure stability of thecell walls of the porous solidified slag, care must be taken that thethickness of the slag layer on the whole pouring bed and the amount ofwater introduced are mutually appropriate. This requirement cannot bemet by the heretofore known ladles which pour the slag in a relativelythick narrow stream onto one point of the foaming bed, so that the slagspreads only relatively slowly onto the foaming bed. Thus, a relativelythick layer of slag forms at the pouring point which cannot be causedcompletely to foam by the water available, so that the material at thisposition acquires an undesirably high specific gravity. On the otherhand, small quantities of water collect at the locations remote from thepouring ladle, since the slag does not reach these points sufiicientlyquickly. As a result thereof, the slag when it comes to these locationsis granulated by the water instead of being caused to foam, and thusagain material of low specific gravity which is desired is not producedwith adequate pressure stability of the cell walls of the poroussolidified slag.

Furthermore, there is the danger that when the slag is poured outquickly, the solidified slag particles present in the pouring ladle, theso-called slag top, will accompany the slag and partially cover up thenozzles, thereby affecting the foaming operation. Even worse than this,experience has shown that, even though the slag is free from iron, rapidpouring alone leads to the risk of explosion when the slag is deliveredas a continuous stream to one and the same zone of the bed. The reasonappears to be that steam, produced from the water rising from beneaththe zone of application of the slag, is enclosed in pockets in thestream of slag and causes explosive disruption of the slag, whereas inthe case of a quiescent layer of slag, the steam can penetrate the slagin such a way as to cause it to foam. Accordingly, it is impracticableto pour the slag directly on the foaming bed from a. heretoforecustomary ladle into which the slag is poured from the blast furnace.One solution to this problem has been advanced in U. S. Patent No.2,691,249.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simplifiedsolution which will make it possible to pour the slag in a wide streaminto a foaming bed directly from a ladle.

It is another object of this invention so to design a ladle at thedischarge side thereof that the outflowing stream of slag will spreadand spill over the edge in form of a band or wide, fiat stream.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a ladle of thetype set forth in the preceding paragraphs,

which will prevent formation of a slag top or at least prevent anymaterial amount of slag top from leaving the ladle during the pouringoperation.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will apppearmore clearly from the following specification in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which: i

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of ladle according to the invention.

Fig. 1a shows a plan view similar to that of Fig. 1 but on a smallerscale with one lid portion in open position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through Fig. 1 taken along the line IIIIthereof.

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively sections of the ladle of Fig. 1 in twodifierent tipped positions.

General arrangement One of the primary features of the present inventionconsists in providing the ladle with a collar forming a considerablyextended discharge or overflow edge so that the slag being dischargedfrom the ladle will leave the latter in form of a wide, flat stream.Thus, when the slag is being discharged from a ladle according to theinvention directly into the foaming bed, it will reach the same in awide evenly distributed stream which makes a quicker charging of saidbed possible with all the advantages inherent thereto. If the availabletipping gear does not provide for sufi'iciently rapid tipping, this canbe achieved by providing a hook on the bottom of the ladle and attachingto the hook a rope connected to a rapidly acting winding drum. I

As a further feature of the invention the transport ladle is fitted witha lid which can be held closed until the ladle has been tipped andwhich, when opened, will allow rapid discharge of the slag. The lid alsoserves to hinder cooling otl of the slag and the formation of a slagtop.

According to a particularly advantageous arrangement, the lid of theladle is divided in a direction parallel to the tipping axis, and thelower part only of the lid is adapted to be opened while the dividingline in the lid is so disposed that the level of the slag in the tippedladle is above the dividing line in the lid before the lid is opened. Inthis way, the upper part of the lid holds back any slag top which mayhave formed so that it cannot immediately fall on to the pouring bed andblock the nozzles for the supply of the foaming agent.

Various expedients can be adopted for holding the lid closed and foropening said lid when the ladle has been tipped to the proper angle.Thus, for example, the movable part of the lid may carry acounterweight, which urges the lid to the closed position until theladle has been tipped intothe desired position and which causes the lidto open, and assists its rapid opening, on further tipping of the ladle.

According to another feature of the invention, the movable part of thelid is fitted to a collar at the discharge side of the ladle and isarranged so that when said movable part of the lid is being opened, itwill assume a position in which it extends the collar and will cause aspreading of the stream of slag flowing past it.

Structural arrangement Referring now to the drawings in detail and Figs.1 to 4 thereof in particular, the structure shown therein comprises aladle 1 having a lid 2, 3 divided along a line parallel to the tippingaxis :of the ladle. The larger portion 2 of the lid is at the sideremote from the discharge side and remains attached to the ladle duringthe pouring operation. To facilitate filling of the ladle, the portion 2is, however, hinged at 4 to the ladle and retained in position by hooksor similar devices 14, hinged to the ladle, which grip its edges. Thesmaller portion 3 of the lid is of trapezoidal form and projects beyondthe edge of the ladle at both sides of the point of discharge. Theprojecting portions of the lid portion 3 are connected by hinges S to acollar 12 fitted to the edge of the ladle and disposed beneath the lid.The pivot pin or rod 6 of the lid portion 3 carries at each end a lever7 fitted with a counterweight 8 which latter may be adjustable on thelever 7. If desired, also the levers 7 may be angularly adjustable onpin or rod 6.

After filling the ladle 1, the lid 2, 3 is closed (Fig. 2) and the ladleis transported to the foaming bed. During the first portion of thetipping of the ladle for the purpose of emptying it, the stationary lidportion 2 remains closed, and the lid portion 3 also remains closed(Fig. 3). Thereafter, at a position of the ladle determined by theposition of the weights 8 on the arms 7, and the angle be tween the arms7 and the lid portion 3, the force exerted by the weights 8 on the lidportion 3 is overcome by the increasing counterforce exerted thereon bythe slag in the ladle so that lid portion 3 opens. As soon as the lidportion 3 is opened by this counterforce (Fig. 4) the contents of theladle are discharged rapidly onto the foaming bed. The lid portion 3 isthen held, e. g. by an abutment 15 on the ladle or on the lid portion 3in a position, as

shown in Fig. 4, in which the outflowing slag can spread over it and soflow in a broad stream onto the foaming bed. It is advantageous so torelate the size of the lid portion 2 to the size of the lid portion 3and so to determine the pressure exerted externally on the lid portion 3that the lid portion 3 is kept closed until the level of the slag in thetilted ladle is above the lid portion 3 so that during the first part ofthe pouring operation solid con stituents which may have formed on thesurface of the slag are held back as long as possible by the lid portion2.

It is of course understood that the present invention is, by no meanslimited to the particular constructions shown in the drawings, but alsocomprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A device for use in connection with the pouring of fiery moltenmasses onto a foaming bed, which comprises in combination: a ladle inform of a bucket with substantially circular cross section, plate meansconnected to the upper portion of said ladle along an arcuate wallsection thereof, said plate means forming a discharge surface projectingoutwardly from said ladle and having a relatively long overflow edge,and a lid having a first lid portion stationarily held on said ladle andalso having a second lid portion movable relative to said first lidportion and hinged to said plate means, said second lid portion beingtiltable to form an extension of said plate means.

2. A device for use in connection with the pouring of fiery moltenmasses onto a foaming bed, which comprises in combination: a ladle inform of a bucket with substantially circular cross section, plate meansconnected to the upper portion of said ladle along an arcuate wall 4section thereof, said plate means forming a discharge surface projectingoutwardly from said ladle and having a relatively long overflow edge,and a lid having a first lid portion stationarily held on said ladle,and also having a second lid portion movable relative to said first lidportion and hinged to said plate means, and counterweight meansoperatively connected with said second lid portion.

3. A device according to claim 2, in which said counterweight means isadjustable.

4-. A device adapted to receive fiery molten masses, especially for usein connection with the pouring of fiery molten masses onto a foamingbed, which comprises in combination: a ladle in form of a bucket withsubstantially circular cross section, plate means connected to the upperportion of said ladle along an arcuate wall section thereof, said platemeans forming a discharge surface extending outwardly from said ladleand being arranged to discharge fiery molten masses from said ladle inform of a flat relatively wide stream, and a lid having a first lidportion stationarily held on said ladle and also having a second lidportion movable relative to said first lid portion and hinged to saidplate means whereby said second lid portion is tiltable into a positionin which it forms an extension of said plate means remote from saidladle.

5. A device for use in connection with the pouring of fiery moltenmasses onto a foaming bed, which comprises in combination: a ladle inform of a bucket with substantially circular cross section, plate meansconnected to the upper portion of said ladle along an arcuate wallsection thereof, said plate means forming a discharge surface ex tendingoutwardly from said ladle and having a relatively long overflow edge,and a lid having a first lid portion stationarily held on said ladle andalso having a second'lid portion movable relative to said first lidportion and hinged to said plate means, said second lid portion beingarranged in response to a predetermined tilting angle of said ladle toopen automatically and to move into a position in which it forms anextension of said plate means thereby releasing fiery molten masses fromsaid ladle over said plate means and said second lid portion.

6. A device according to claim 5, in which at said predetermined tiltingangle and with a certain filling ofsaid ladle the dividing line of saidlid portions lies below the uppermost level of the liquid mass in saidladle,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSv135,265 Connolly Jan; 28, 1873' 697,769 Acklin Apr; 15,1902 1,633,876Swigert June 28, 1927 1,755,411 Peirce Apr. 22, 1930 1,857,806 Cone May10, 1932 2,042,037 Camerota May 26', 1936 2,494,270 Todd Jan. 10, 1950FOREIGN PATENTS 833,146 France July 11, 1938

